TIME TO TAKE THE LEAD
This key qualification is in high demand in most industries,
AN extreme shortage of qualified project managers is leading to cost blowouts and project delays across all sectors, with experts warning the situation will worsen unless more skilled workers can be found.
The Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM) says workers must now have high-level qualifications, heralding an end to “accidental” project managers.
An analysis of project managers in 11 countries, including Australia, found the profession will grow by 33 per cent in the next decade, with 88 million project management-oriented roles required by 2027.
But GBA Projects managing director Matt Betros says currently there is just “1 per cent (of) adequately trained up” workers to meet the forecast demand.
“The situation is not ideal and it’s only going to get worse,” Betros says.
“The majority of projects aren’t delivered on time or under budget and a lot of that comes down to poor risk management and poor project management.
“There’s not enough experienced project managers out there – and those that are get snapped up really quickly.”
AIPM board chairman Michael King says the shortage of
project managers affects all areas of industry, including construction, IT, health, banking, communication and defence.
“A recent search of positions on SEEK with the words ‘project manager’ returned a result of 35,797 jobs,” King says.
“The current shortage of credentialed project managers is a huge concern in meeting the successful delivery of much needed services, infrastructure and, in general, meeting the needs of society.
“We run the risk of enabling inexperienced project managers to lead some of these projects without the necessary support and structure.”
While diploma and advanced diploma-level qualifications are now required for project management certification, King says masters degrees are also starting to emerge.
“We have moved from the era of the accidental project manager to the need to meet the new industry standards,” he says.
TAFE SA project management lecturer Anne Tonkin says project management qualifications are crucial to the success of projects, with research showing success rates increase by 40 per cent when a project is managed by those with the right skillsets.
Glenda McInerney, 57, works as a finance officer with Regional Development Australia Limestone Coast but, after taking over the management of a couple of projects following staff departures, decided to undertake a Diploma of Project Management through TAFE SA.
“(Project management) is a lot more involved than I thought,” says McInerney, who hopes to take on more project management work in the future.
“You need to consider who’s doing what, when it’s going to be done, who’s going to be in your team – the course even covered things like continual improvement.”